We met behind the counter of Chick-fil-A, where I managed the front of house, and Kyree worked in the kitchen training to be a leader. It started with easy conversation – little things, like how the shift was going or how the team was handling the dinner rush. We’d exchange smiles and joke around to pass the time on long shifts. Before I knew it, I was looking forward to those moments more than I’d planned. Our banter turned into longer glances, and I’d catch myself hoping for an excuse to walk past the kitchen, just to see him. Something about the way he’d look at me, or the way he’d make me laugh over nothing, told me there was more between us than we were saying. Then one morning, I walked in for my shift and spotted an order sticker from the night before – one with his name on it. I smiled, feeling a little ridiculous at how much my heart skipped over something so simple. But it was Kyree’s name, left there as if waiting for me. I snapped a picture, added a heart filter, and sent it to him. He replied something playful. From that moment on, everything shifted. Those little exchanges turned into hours long conversation in the parking lot after work, and soon we were spending all the time we could together. Whether we were swapping stories from growing up or laughing until we cried about inside jokes that only we knew, I knew I’d found my favorite person. Four years flew by, filled with road trips, late-night conversations, and small moments that felt bigger than anything. I couldn’t imagine a day without him. Then, Kyree told me he wanted to take me to Dewberry Farm. He knew I loved pumpkin patches, and fall was my favorite season. We walked through the farm, hand in hand. When we reached the pumpkin house, Kyree suddenly stopped, turning to face me. Before I could say anything, he knelt down, holding out a small ring box, his eyes warm and steady on mine. I felt my breath catch, and before he even finished asking, I was nodding, trying to keep it together. I whispered, “Yes,” and he slipped the ring on my finger. I hugged him close, knowing in that moment, as I always had, that he was home.